How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck?

Level: TBD

Aims: Exposure to English culture, dictionary lookup skills, vocabulary development

Grammar: No grammar aims here

Time: 10-50 mins

Materials: Photocopies of the rhymes, dictionary

Introduction: How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck is a traditional rhyme of the English world. It’s notable as a difficult “tongue-twister.” Trying to recite the tongue-twister quickly is fun for English children

The students will be given photocopies of the Text of the Rhyme. Using the Text of the Rhyme with Notes, go through the text. Follow this with the Discussion Questions.

Text of the Rhyme

How much wood

Would a woodchuck chuck

If a woodchuck could chuck wood?

As much wood

As a woodchuck would

If a woodchuck could chuck wood.

Text of the Rhyme with Notes

• Introduce the concept of the tongue-twister. Say, “A tongue-twister is a way that English children play with words.” Give examples of tongue-twisters from the students’ native language if possible.

How much wood

Would a woodchuck chuck

• Dictionary lookup: woodchuck
• Dictionary lookup: to chuck

If a woodchuck could chuck wood?

As much wood

As a woodchuck would

If a woodchuck could chuck wood.

Discussion Questions

1. Challenge the students to recite the tongue-twister as quickly as possible. Ask them if their tongue becomes “twisted.”
2. Ask the students, “What is this rhyme about?” and let them think about it. This is an example of a nonsense rhyme; it has no appreciable meaning, and is used merely for playing with words. Elicit examples of nonsense rhymes from the students’ native culture if possible.